Hook and carrier arrangement

ABSTRACT

A hook for fastening a hand-held working apparatus to a belt arrangement ( 10 ) has an open frame ( 46 ) with an access opening ( 23 ) and a closure member ( 22 ). The closure member ( 22 ) at least partly closes the access opening ( 23 ) in a rest position ( 32 ) of the closure member ( 22 ). The closure member ( 22 ) can be swiveled from the rest position ( 32 ) to a first open position ( 33 ) and to a second open position ( 34 ), so that a hand-held working apparatus which is arranged on the belt arrangement ( 10 ) can in a simple manner be both fastened to the belt arrangement and detached therefrom. A carrier arrangement with a hand-held working apparatus, a belt arrangement ( 10 ) and a fastening device ( 50 ) for fastening the working apparatus to the belt arrangement ( 10 ) comprises a hook ( 9 ) and an element to be engaged in the hook ( 9 ).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

The right of foreign priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) basedon Federal Republic of Germany Application No. 10 2007 048 104.9, filedOct. 6, 2007, the entire contents of which, including the specification,drawings, claims and abstract, are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a hook of the type specified in the preamble ofclaim 1 and to a carrier arrangement of the type specified in thepreamble of claim 15.

A brush cutter, to which a carrier belt can be fastened by means of asnap hook, is known from DE 35 36 676 A1. Snap hooks of this typeconventionally have a spring-loaded closure member which can be swiveledinward into the receiving opening of the hook counter to the force ofthe spring. Toward the outside of the hook, the closure member isconventionally secured in a form-fitting manner.

In order to detach a working apparatus from a carrier arrangement ofthis type, the closure member of the snap hook must be swiveled by handand the hook then disengaged from the opening. This operation iscomparatively awkward. As the operator must use one hand to open thesnap hook, only one hand is available for holding the working apparatus,so that the entire weight of the working apparatus must be accommodatedusing one hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is based on the object of providing a hook for fastening ahand-held working apparatus to a belt arrangement, which hook allowssimple securing of the working apparatus to the belt arrangement andsimple detachment of the working apparatus from the belt arrangement. Afurther object of the invention is to specify a carrier arrangementallowing simple fastening and detachment of a working apparatus to andfrom a belt arrangement.

With regard to the hook, this object is achieved by a hook having thefeatures of claim 1.

With regard to the carrier arrangement, the object is achieved by acarrier arrangement having the features of claim 15.

In order to achieve simple securing and simple detachment of the workingapparatus to and from the belt arrangement, provision is made for theclosure member to close the access opening in a rest position lyingbetween end positions, and for the closure member to be swivelable fromthe advantageously central rest position to a first and to a second openposition as the end position. In this case, advantageously one openposition is associated with the fastening process and a second openposition is associated with the detachment of the working apparatus fromthe belt arrangement. The two open positions or end positions can as aresult be adapted to the movement of the working apparatus duringengagement or during detachment, thus allowing the closure member to beswiveled into the respective open position by way of the workingapparatus itself. Swiveling of the closure member by hand may thus bedispensed with. This simplifies the operation. The operator has bothhands available for holding and moving the working apparatus.

Advantageously, the first open position is reached by swiveling theclosure member from the preferably central rest position in a firstswiveling direction and the second open position is reached by swivelingfrom the preferably central rest position in a second swivelingdirection which is in the opposite direction to the first swivelingdirection. Accordingly, the closure member can be swiveled from thecentral rest position in two opposing swiveling directions. In thiscase, provision is made for the closure member to be swiveled in oneswiveling direction toward the frame of the hook and in the otherswiveling direction away from the frame of the hook. For fastening anddetaching the working apparatus to and from the hook, two swivelingdirections standing transversely to each other can however also beprovided.

Advantageously, the closure member is held resiliently in the restposition. A simple configuration is obtained if the closure member isheld in the rest position by way of its inherent elasticity. Anadditional spring element may thus be dispensed with. This produces asimple and robust construction.

Provision is made for the hook to have a free end delimiting the accessopening and for the closure member to be, in the rest position, at aspacing from the free end of the hook. The spacing is in this caseadvantageously smaller than the diameter of an element to be engaged inthe hook, so that the closure member prevents accidental disengagementof the engaged element. At the same time, the spacing allows unimpededswiveling of the closure member in both directions. A mechanical stop,which defines a position of the closure member, may as a result bedispensed with. This allows wear to be minimized, and the service lifeof the hook is extended.

A simple configuration of the closure member is achieved if the closuremember has a first leg and a second leg, the two legs running onopposing sides of the frame of the hook and being joined together by aconnecting portion. Advantageously, the first leg is mounted on a firstswivel bearing and the second leg is mounted on a second swivel bearingon the frame, the swivel axes of the two swivel bearings being at aspacing from each other. As a result of the fact that the twointerconnected legs rotate about different swivel axes, a stable restposition can be achieved. During swiveling of the connecting member fromthe rest position, the legs and the connecting portion are deformedowing to the mutually set-apart swivel axes. This ensures that theclosure member swivels owing to its inherent elasticity back into therest position as soon as the element to be engaged has passed the accessopening.

In order to achieve the same forces in both swiveling directions,provision is made for the two swivel axes to lie, in the rest positionof the closure member, in a plane with the connecting portion.Advantageously, the legs of the closure member run, between therespective swivel bearing and the connecting portion, straight and inthe plane spanned by the swivel axes. A simple configuration is obtainedif the closure member is configured as a wire hoop. The wire hoop can bemanufactured in a simple manner. As a result of the fact that the restposition is defined by the orientation of the two swivel bearings, noprecise tolerances must be adhered to in the manufacture of the hoop. Arobust, simply constructed system is obtained.

Provision is made for the hook to have a space for receiving an elementto be suspended in the hook. The spacing, measured in the direction of aheight of the access opening, from a roof of the receiving space to thefree end of the hook corresponds in this case advantageously to at least80% of the height of the access opening. Advantageously, the spacingfrom the roof to the free end of the hook corresponds at least to theheight of the access opening. In the conventional working position ofthe working apparatus, the element suspended in the hook can as a resultbe arranged in the region of the receiving space that adjoins the roof.This region is delimited by the free end of the hook, so that in thenormal working position no forces act on the connecting member. Theconnecting member accordingly acts merely as a securing means. Theforces conventionally acting in operation are absorbed by the frame ofthe hook.

For a carrier arrangement with a hand-held working apparatus, a beltarrangement and a fastening device for fastening the working apparatusto the belt arrangement, the fastening device having a hook and anelement to be engaged with the hook, the hook comprising an open spacewith an access opening and a closure member, and the closure member atleast partly closing the access opening in at least one position of theclosure member, provision is made for the position in which the closuremember at least partly closes the access opening to be preferably acentral rest position and for the closure member to be swivelable fromthe central rest position to a first open position and to a second openposition.

In order to ensure that in the conventional working position no forcesact on the closure member and all occurring forces are absorbed by theframe of the hook, provision is made for the access opening of the hookto be arranged on the side of the hook that is remote from a tool of theworking apparatus. Both when holding the tool close to the ground andwhen holding the tool roughly at the level of the user's shoulder, theweight of the working apparatus is accommodated by the frame of the hookand not by the closure member. Advantageously, the hook is upwardlyclosed in the normal working position of the working apparatus.Provision is made for the hook to be arranged on the working apparatusand for the element to be engaged in the hook to be arranged on the beltarrangement.

Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the detailed description of preferred embodimentsthat follows, when considered together with the accompanying figures ofdrawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be described hereinafterwith reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a carrier arrangement for a brush cutter.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a grip housing of the brush cutter withthe hook arranged thereon.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the hook.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the hook from FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the hook from FIG. 4 in the direction of arrowV in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the closure member of the hook from FIGS. 3 to5.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the hook with the closure member in a firstopen position.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the hook with the closure member in a secondopen position.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the hook schematically illustrating the closuremember in all three positions.

FIG. 10 is a side view onto the hook from FIG. 9 from the rear side inFIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a carrier arrangement for harvestingequipment such as an olive shaker.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The carrier arrangement shown in FIG. 1 comprises a belt arrangement 10,a fastening device 50 and a brush cutter 1. Instead of the brush cutter1, the belt arrangement 10 can also be used for a different hand-heldworking apparatus, for example for a tree trimmer, harvesting equipmentsuch as for example an olive shaker or the like. The brush cutter 1comprises a guide tube 2, arranged on one end of which is a motorhousing 3 and on the opposing end a thread mower head 4. From the threadmower head 4 protrudes a mower thread 6 which forms the tool of thebrush cutter 1. The orbit of the mower thread 6 is covered by a guard 5on the side facing an operator 16. A drive motor (not shown), which canfor example be a two-stroke motor or an oil-in-gasoline-lubricatedfour-stroke motor, is arranged in the motor housing 3. The drive motorcan however also be an electric motor. The drive motor drives a driveshaft which is rotatably mounted in the guide tube 2 and drives thethread mower head 4 in rotation. A handle 7 is secured to the guide tube2 for guiding the brush cutter 1. An accelerator 8 is provided on thehandle 7 for operating the drive motor.]

The brush cutter 1 is arranged on a carrier plate 14 of the beltarrangement 10 via the fastening device 50. For this purpose, a hook 9,which is engaged with an eyelet 15 on the carrier plate 14, is securedto the handle 7.

The belt arrangement 10 has two shoulder belts 11, a side belt 13 and alap belt 12. The lap belt 12 is open in its formation and connected atits free ends to the carrier plate 15. The fastening device 50 canhowever also be provided for a belt arrangement 10 comprising just ashoulder strap which is connected to the brush cutter 1.

FIG. 2 shows the grip housing 17 of the handle 7. The grip part of thehandle 7, which part surrounds the grip housing 17, is not shown in FIG.2. As FIG. 2 shows, the grip housing 17 has two half-shells 18 and 19delimiting a cylindrical socket 20 for the guide tube 2. The hook 9 issecured to the grip housing 17 on the side opposing the accelerator 8(FIG. 1) using two fastening screws 21. In the conventional workingposition, the hook 9 is arranged above the guide tube 2 and the handle7. As FIG. 2 shows, the hook 9 has a closure member 22 which will bedescribed hereinafter in greater detail.

As FIG. 3 shows, the hook 9 has an open frame 46 which is formed by aflat base plate 26. The frame 46 can for example be manufactured as apart punched out of a metal sheet. Two fastening openings 25 areprovided in the base plate 26 for receiving the fastening screws 21. Theframe 46 forms a receiving space 24 which is accessible via an accessopening 23. As FIGS. 1 and 2 show, the access opening 23 is arranged onthe side of the brush cutter 1 that faces the motor housing 3 and isremote from the mower thread 6, so that the frame 46 is, in theconventional working position of the brush cutter 1 shown in FIG. 1,closed forward and upward.

The frame 46 has a free end 37 delimiting the access opening 23. Thefree end 37 is drawn downward in its configuration and extends towardthe closure member 22. The closure member 22 is secured to the side ofthe frame 46 that opposes the free end 37 and protrudes toward the freeend 37. The closure member 22 has a first leg 27 and a second leg 28.The closure member 22 is configured as a wire hoop. The first leg 27 ismounted in a swivel bearing 40 in the base plate 26 and the second leg28 is mounted in a swivel bearing 41. FIG. 4 shows the closure member 22in a stable rest position which can be a central rest position betweentwo open positions and will be referred to hereinafter generally as thecenter position 32 in which no external forces act on the closure member22. The center position does not have to be a mathematically precisecenter position between the open positions. The term “center position”denotes generally a stable position between the open positions, althoughthis stable center position can also lie approximately in the centerbetween the open positions.

As FIG. 4 shows, the two swivel bearings 40 and 41 are at a spacing fromeach other. The swivel bearing 40 has a swivel axis 44 and the swivelbearing 41 has a swivel axis 45. The two swivel axes 44 and 45 are at aspacing h from each other. Owing to the spacing h, different radii f, gare obtained for the two legs 27 and 28. The first, shorter leg 27causes swiveling of a connecting portion 29 shown in FIG. 6 between thetwo legs 27 and 28 having a radius f. The second, longer leg 28 causesswiveling of the connecting portion 29 about the second swivel axis 45having a radius g. Owing to the different swivel radii f and g, theconnecting portion 29 becomes twisted during swiveling. The legs 27 and28 are also deformed. This will be described hereinafter in greaterdetail.

As FIG. 4 shows, the opening 23 for accessing the receiving space 24 hasa height a which is greater than a diameter i of the eyelet 15 to beengaged with the hook 9. The eyelet 15 can for example be configured asa metal ring. The eyelet 15 can however also be formed by a cable loopor the like. In the center position 32 shown in FIG. 4 of the closuremember 23, the connecting portion 29 is at a spacing b from the free end37 of the frame 46, which spacing is significantly smaller than thediameter i of the eyelet 15. The spacing b ensures that the closuremember 22 cannot abut the free end 37. The spacing b is at the same timesufficiently small to prevent the eyelet 15 from passing through thespacing b without deflecting the closure member 22.

As FIG. 4 shows, the receiving space 24 is formed so as to besubstantially closed at its circumference and opened only in the regionof the access opening 23. The height k, measured in the direction of theheight a of the access opening 23, of the receiving space 24 issignificantly greater than the height a of the access opening 23. Thefree end 37 is drawn downward in its configuration relative to a roof 38of the receiving opening 24 that is remote from the guide tube 2. Theheight K is measured between a roof 38 and an opposing floor 39 of thereceiving opening 24. The floor 39 runs in this case at an inclinationrelative to the longitudinal direction of the guide tube 2, descendingin the direction toward the motor housing 3. The access opening 23 isarranged adjacent to the floor 39, i.e. in the lower region of thereceiving space 24. The roof 38 is arched in its configuration. Theeyelet 15 is therefore arranged, when the guide tube 2 is straight, in afront, upper region of the receiving opening 24. The free end 37 is at aspacing c from the roof 38, which spacing is measured in the directionof the height a and approximately perpendicularly to the floor 39 and isat least 80% of the height a of the access opening 23. Advantageously,the spacing c is at least as large as the height a.

As FIG. 4 shows, the swivel axes 44 and 45 are arranged in a notionalplane 47 with the connecting portion 29, which plane intersects the freeend 37.

As FIG. 5 shows, the two legs 27 and 28 are arranged on opposing sidesof the base plate 26 of the hook 9, whereas the connecting portion 29extends in the region of the base plate 26.

As FIG. 6 shows, the first leg 27 has a bearing portion 30 whichprotrudes into an opening of the base plate 26 of the hook 9 and thusforms the first swivel bearing 40. A bearing portion 31, which protrudesinto a second opening of the base plate 26 and forms therewith thesecond swivel bearing 41, is arranged on the second leg 28, on the sideopposing the connecting portion 29. As FIG. 6 shows, the legs 27 and 28are configured so as to be straight between the respective bearingportion 30 or 31 and the connecting portion 29. The first leg 27 has alength d which is smaller than a length e of the second leg 28.Advantageously, the length d of the first leg 27 is approximately 50% toapproximately 90% of the length e of the second leg 28. The length d isadvantageously approximately 60% to approximately 80%, in particularapproximately 70% of the length e.

FIG. 7 shows the closure member 22 in a first open position 33. In thisopen position, the connecting portion 29 is located inside the receivingspace 24. As FIG. 7 shows, the closure member 22 is deflected by theeyelet 15 which is pressed into the receiving space 24 in the directionof the arrow 35. This increases the size of the spacing between the freeend 37 and the connecting portion 29 to a spacing 1 corresponding to thediameter i of the eyelet 15. This allows the eyelet 15 to be insertedinto the receiving space 24. Owing to the spacing h between the swivelaxes 44 and 45 of the two legs 27 and 28, the legs 27 and 28 and theconnecting portion 29 are elastically deformed in the first openposition 33. This elastic deformation causes the closure member 22 to beswiveled back into the center position 32 once the eyelet 15 has beenslid past the connecting portion 29 into the receiving space 24. Theswiveling is caused by the inherent elasticity of the closure member 22,so that no additional spring element is necessary.

FIG. 8 shows the closure member 22 in a second open position 34 in whichthe connecting portion 29 has been swiveled out of the receiving space24. This is caused by a movement of the eyelet 15 out of the receivingspace 24 in the direction of the arrow 36. The swiveling of the closuremember 22 increases the size of the spacing between the connectingportion 29 and the free end 37 to a spacing m corresponding to thediameter i of the eyelet 15 and to the spacing l in the first openposition 33. The closure member 22 is elastically deformed in thissecond open position 34 too, so that the closure member 22 is swiveledback to its center position 32 once the eyelet 15 has been moved out ofthe region of the connecting portion 29.

FIG. 9 illustrates the radii f and g through which the legs 27 and 28 ofthe closure member 22 swivel. As FIG. 9 shows, the spacing of the radiif and g increases on increasing movement out of the center position 32.In the first open position 33 and the second open position 34, thespacing between the radii f and g causes elastic deformation of theconnecting portion 29 and of the two legs 27 and 28 which generaterestoring forces in the direction toward the center position 32.

As FIG. 10 shows, the closure member 22 is swiveled out of the centerposition 32 to the first open position 33 in a first swiveling direction42 and out of the center position 32 to the second open position 34 in asecond swiveling direction 43. The two swiveling directions 42 and 43are in this case in opposite directions. The connecting portion 29 is inthis case swiveled about a virtual swivel axis 48 which is indicatedschematically in FIG. 10 and which lies between the two swivel axes 44and 45.

Instead of the wire loop, other elements can also serve as the closuremember, for example a metal sheet, made for example of spring steel,which is biased into a center position owing to its inherent elasticity.Provision may also be made additionally to arrange one or more springelements which hold the closure member in its center position.

FIG. 11 shows the hook 9 according to the invention in a fasteningdevice 50 in the case of a carrier arrangement 10 a for harvestingequipment 1 a such as an olive shaker. The harvesting equipment 1 aconsists of a drive motor 3 which drives a shaking rod 2 a back andforth (arrow 49) via a crank mechanism. A U-shaped hook 4 a, which isintended to receive a branch to be shaken of the tree to be harvested,is fastened to the free end of the shaking rod 2 a. The shaking drive isused to shake the branch, so that fruit which is ripe for harvestingbecomes detached and falls to the ground in order then to be collectedup. The user 19 carries the harvesting equipment by means of the carrierarrangement 10 a which is configured as a shoulder belt, the hook 9according to the invention ensuring both simple suspension of the beltand rapid discarding of the belt.

The foregoing description of preferred embodiments of the invention hasbeen presented for purposes of illustration and description only. It isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the preciseform disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible and/orwould be apparent in light of the above teachings or may be acquiredfrom practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen anddescribed in order to explain the principles of the invention and itspractical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize theinvention in various embodiments and with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scopeof the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and that theclaims encompass all embodiments of the invention, including thedisclosed embodiments and their equivalents.

1. A hook for fastening a portable, hand-held working apparatus, inparticular a brush cutter, harvesting equipment such as an olive shakeror the like, to a belt arrangement, the hook comprising an open framewith an access opening and a closure member, the closure member at leastpartly closing the access opening in at least one position of theclosure member, wherein the position in which the closure member atleast partly closes the access opening is a rest position and whereinthe closure member can be swiveled from the rest position to a firstopen position and to a second open position.
 2. The hook as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the first open position is reached by swiveling theclosure member from the rest position in a first swiveling direction andthe second open position is reached by swiveling from the rest positionin a second swiveling direction which is in the opposite direction tothe first swiveling direction.
 3. The hook as claimed in claim 1,wherein the closure member is held resiliently in the rest position. 4.The hook as claimed in claim 3, wherein the closure member is held inthe rest position by way of its inherent elasticity.
 5. The hook asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the hook has a free end delimiting theaccess opening and wherein the closure member is, in the rest position,at a spacing from the free end of the hook.
 6. The hook as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the closure member has a first leg and a second leg,the two legs running on opposing sides of the frame of the hook andbeing joined together by a connecting portion.
 7. The hook as claimed inclaim 6, wherein the first leg is mounted on a first swivel bearing andthe second leg is mounted on a second swivel bearing on the frame, theswivel axes of the two swivel bearings being at a spacing from eachother.
 8. The hook as claimed in claim 7, wherein the two swivel axeslie, in the rest position of the closure member, in a plane with theconnecting portion.
 9. The hook as claimed in claim 7, wherein the legsof the closure member run, between the respective swivel bearing and theconnecting portion, straight and in the plane spanned by the swivelaxes.
 10. The hook as claimed in claim 1, wherein the closure member isconfigured as a wire hoop.
 11. The hook as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe hook has a space for receiving an element to be suspended in thehook.
 12. The hook as claimed in claim 11, wherein the spacing, measuredin the direction of a height of the access opening, from a roof of thereceiving space to the free end of the hook corresponds to at least 80%of the height of the access opening.
 13. The hook as claimed in claim 1,wherein the rest position of the closure member is a stable positionbetween the first open position and the second open position.
 14. Thehook as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rest position of the closuremember is a center position between the first open position and thesecond open position.
 15. A carrier arrangement with a hand-held workingapparatus, in particular with a brush cutter, harvesting equipment suchas an olive shaker or the like, with a belt arrangement and a fasteningdevice for fastening the working apparatus to the belt arrangement, thefastening device having a hook and an element to be engaged with thehook, the hook comprising an open frame with an access opening and aclosure member, the closure member at least partly closing the accessopening in at least one position of the closure member, wherein theposition in which the closure member at least partly closes the accessopening is a rest position and wherein the closure member can beswiveled from the rest position to a first open position and to a secondopen position.
 16. The carrier arrangement as claimed in claim 15,wherein the working apparatus has a tool and wherein the access openingof the hook is arranged on the side of the hook that is remote from thetool.
 17. The carrier arrangement as claimed in claim 15, wherein thehook is upwardly closed in the normal working position of the workingapparatus.
 18. The carrier arrangement as claimed in claim 15, whereinthe hook is arranged on the working apparatus and the element to beengaged in the hook is arranged on the belt arrangement.